The present invention relates to fishing hooks and, in particular, to hooks selectively outfitted with a dressing retainer for securing attractors to the hook (e.g. artificial plastic tails, tubes etc. or live bait), and/or a retainer that accepts a rattle, cyalume stick or secondary weight and/or a weight that can be adjustably positioned along the hook shank.
A longstanding problem of fishermen who use plastic lure dressings or attractors (e.g. plastic tails, tubes with filamentary tentacles and other molded artificial baits that mimic the appearance of live bait) is obtaining a secure attachment of the artificial bait to a fishhook. Many attractors attach directly to the hook by threading the hook through the body of the attractor. This attachment subjects the attractors to wear and tear that causes the attractor to rotate, slip and dislodge from the hook. The attractor must therefore be continually attended and repositioned or replaced.
A variety of retainers have been developed to facilitate dressing retention. Some retainers depend from the shank of the hook and some depend from the eye of the hook. Among the former retainers, several retainers provide members that are molded to the hook and have protruding prongs and ridges over which the attractor is threaded and that prevent retraction of the attractor. The shank of the hook can also be formed with burrs, slivers or other barbed protrusions to prevent slippage.
Several of the eye supported retainers provide formed pieces having outer surfaces shaped to discourage retraction. The retainers are either rigidly secured to the hook or are mounted to pivot freely. The attractor is typically threaded onto the hook and the retainer is separately threaded into the attractor to support the attractor at a preferred orientation to the hook. A weedless, antifouling mounting of the attractor is oftentimes obtainable with these retainers. That is, the several attractor attachment points permit a limited obstruction of the gap between the hook eye and tip of the hook barb, which allows the assembly to slide more readily through weeds and other obstructions.
A variety of audible attractors, rattles, lights and cyalume sticks have also been developed that can be mounted to the attractor or attached directly to the hook. Some rattles are constructed to insert into the attractor; others are constructed to attach to the hook or other lure parts with rubber bands, tubing or looped elastomer members. Alone or collectively, the visual attractor dressings and audible attractors can stimulate a prey species of fish to strike the lure.
A variety of hooks also exist that are constructed with permanently located weights. Weights of various sizes (e.g. {fraction (1/16)}-¾ ounce) and shapes are rigidly cast onto the hook shank at locations that promote a desired hook orientation during retrieval. The variety of weight sizes requires the fisherperson to stock a selection of the various sizes. Some “bottom bouncers” provide weights that are pegged or stopped along a wire form with a rubber band.
The present invention was developed to provide a modular hook assembly. The hook is constructed to support a weight that can be re-positioned along the hook shank to define a desired hook orientation. A formed wire dressing retainer is also provided that depends from the hook eye to support desired plastic attractors. A formed spring wire retainer is also provided that is shaped to support a rattle, weight, and/or cyalume stick. Depending upon a desired arrangement of enhancements, a hook can be accoutered and adapted to complement a broad range of fishing conditions without having to stock a host of special fishing lures.